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Religions of Aduroum
After the fall, all major gods either exiled themselves to demi-planes to avoid the catastrophe, have died, or become mad themselves, unable to grapple with what they witnessed. There is no record of what gods there were or how many there were. For this reason, many religions appear, claiming to worship the memories or acts of an elder deity. This has also led to a large number of fraudulent "magic men" who claim to worship a deity who does not exist or that they are the reincarnation of this god or that. A number of fiendish creatures from the lower planes have also taken advantage of this. Their abilities of deception, knowledge of arcane lore, and proficiency of building cults make demonic cults a large issue. However, a new pantheon is slowly assembling. Not gods in the sense that they are the creators of the world, but that they are extremely powerful individuals who are loved, worshiped, or feared by many. Divine Figures '-The Anathema, the Ageless Serpent (NE): '''Worshiped primarily by reptilian or draconic minions, the Anathmea emerged from the dread pyramid of Dhulkador early after the Fall. It claims to be the warped and assimilated forms of the Wild Elven Sages. Infinite in knowledge, seemingly omniscient, and certainly immortal, the Anathema is a god made flesh. It leads legions of Yuan-Ti and Lizardfolk in war gains the world while playing politics with minor regional kingdoms. It evokes a mantra of conquest and brutality to the conquered. Followers of the Anathema believe it is the Anathema's fate to rule over all and seek to subject the world to his dominion. Power is to be seized and might makes right. Temples to the Anathema are often heavily militarized. They often resemble forts more than places of worship. Always hidden from the public outside of Dhulkador, this religion is reviled among many in the Common Lands and in the Sapphire Veil. '-Cabal of the Sea (LE):' This ancient master is worshiped by sea-borne cults, coastal communities, and elder sea races. The four Kraken Lords ruled the oceans for hundreds of years: Daxial of the Brine, Vzazzi of the Green Shallows, Sorstra the Howling Gale, Gelnoth the Vast Azure. These four lords ruled over the four "realms" of the sea: the deep, the shallows, the storm, and the open blue sea. However, their rule is now a myth. Over one hundred years ago, Vzazzi died and his Aethersilver (divine spark that all great monsters carry) was stolen by a human. No one knows the identity of the thief, but some have noticed that Vulkar's miraculous rebirth occurred around that time. The Krakens teach a dogma of servitude. Near god-like beings themselves, they see mortal races as tools to be used and pushed as they see fit. Those that follow the Kraken cults often have a stake or some deep respect for the Kraken's power. Cultists often are tied to the sea, either in life or trade. Their temples are deep and hidden. As of 602 A.F., both Daxial and Vzazzi are dead, or at least removed from the mortal plane. Gelnoth has assumed superiority and now commands the Krakens followers. A prayer to the Krakens is a prayer to Gelnoth. Following the Kraken War, this cult has gained a foothold in the ruined areas of Trickletown, led by a masked figure known as the Mouth of Gelnoth. '-Celine, the Fallen Angel (LG):' Also known as the Silver Lady, Celine is a celestial being who fell from the heavens shortly after the fall. She traveled to Isilsolar and was able to unite the broken city around the ideal of what once was. This consists of collecting records of the time before, enforcing laws and cultural norms, and attempting to bring that influence to other kingdoms. She now rules from within the Crystal Monastery, the tallest tower in all of Isilsolar. Her holy presence creates a beacon of light amid the otherwise dark and brooding Old Realm. Of her chiefest concerns is Agony's Mark. She tells her advisers that she feels an evil presence in the tower, something from before the Fall. Followers of Celine believe in goodness, justice, and law. Sometimes painful things must be done in order to maintain the light of the world. However awful, one must always keep in mind their vision of a better tomorrow. Her followers seek to restore the peaceful, Utopian world they lost in the Fall. '-Eldath, goddess of Peace (NG):' Eldath was a high priest of Pelor once. Her memory extends into the time before the Fall. Once mortal, the chaos of the Fall destroyed her physical body, but her faith in the light empowered her. In a last act of life, she sacrificed herself to bestow a protective magic over Isilsolar. This shield only protected the physical form of the city. It did nothing to preserve the psyche or mental stability of its people. Somewhere in the chaos, she must have come into contact with the aspect of a dying god and ascended to a goddess. Not the patron saint of Isilsolar, she is still strongly revered by many in the Golden Kingdom. Her followers can be found any place that hopes for peace. Of all the gods, she is one of the most active on the plane, despite a lack of a physical form. Her acts usually appear as miracles of aid, delivered pleas for mercy, or shelter for the bereft. Her followers embrace a doctrine of love and peace for all. In their minds, there is good in all things. Violence is a last resort in defense against the unrepentant. Never once has an invading army received her aid, even when many among their ranks followed her faith. -'''Fairmind, Keeper of Wisdom (NG):' An elder dragon from before the Fall, Fairmind is an ancient gold dragon who dwells within the Sapphire Veil. An old friend of elves, Fiarmind's position as a revered divine figure is not of his choosing. Indeed, he rejects any responsibility of his own to the world. Nonetheless, many see him as the only light within dragonkind against the often times aggressive faith of Glacieus. Fairmind spends his time debating with elven scholars or researching arcane magic. He has no love for war, refusing to aid the elves during the Century of Reckoning. He encourages mortal races to end their problems themselves. He maintains that the younger races should develop reliance in the present, not look to the old and weathered for aid. For this, many dismiss him as a lout and a poor excuse for a mighty beast. Many believe that if he were roused from his academic stupor, he could end a great amount of injustice. Followers of Fairmind see themselves as an extension of his advice. They champion the abilities of their race and their freedom. They look to extinguish evil where they find it and improve the world. They draw power from his reverence, even though Fairmind has not left the Sapphire Veil in 600 years. '-Fenmarel Mestarine, herald of nature, lord of outcasts (CG):' Not actually a deity, but he is seen as a holy figure imbued with the powers of fallen nature gods. Fenmarel is a wood elf who came with the refugees from the Woodland Realm. His family was slain by the Orog mercenaries and carried a burning hatred of both Orcs and Men back to Trickletown. He hated everything about Trickletown and situation his people found themselves in. Treated like victims and cripples by the humans of the great city, his anger only built. He eventually became so aggravated that in 420 A.F. he left the city and his people and wandered the land. He returned in 470 A.F. claiming to be enlightened by nature. He saw that civilization was a blight upon the world, that only the harmonious balance that the Elves once had was the only acceptable kind of civilization. Followers of Fenmarel despise civilization, but may live there to help his cause. Whether in small, unnoticeable ways or in great acts of guerilla warfare, they always find ways to rebel against civilization. He is hostile to non-elves, particularly Dwarves. He has been seen commanding nature, summoning plant life, calling storms upon his enemies, and weilding powers not seen since the old gods of nature strode the land. It is believed that he himself is not divine, but rather the spirit of a nature god walks in his shadow. -'Glacieus, the Dragoness (NE):' One of the last of the elder dragons, Glacieus is one of the few ancient dragons to survive the Fall from Grace. An ancient white dragon, she rules from Icecall Peak. With an army of Dragonborn and wintery minions, she asserts her influence over the Western Mountains. Glacieus declared her divinity in the absence of Tiamat, though she fears the Dread Queen of Dragons may one day return. Followers are either worshipers of dragons, draconic in origin, or admire the philosophy of strength and growth that she preaches. She bears her own followers. The offspring and few true dragons who serve her are her own children. In her teachings, many see a cold love. They are told that family and lineage is everything. You must respect your elders, embrace those close to you, and shelter those beneath you. This is taught next to a dogma of racial superiority, placing dragons above all other races. Those faithful to the Dragoness tend to come from the Western Mountains, but devotees can be found anywhere that dragons hold influence or sway. Glacieus is sometimes called the Dragon Lord of the East. The Dragon Lord of the West is a gold dragon named Fairmind, a hated enemy of Glacieus. '-Orcus, Demon Prince (LE): '''Though technically a creature from before the Fall, Orcus was once a great Orc leader who was twisted by the fell influence of Chaos that ran amok during the Fall. He was twisted into a demonic creature who is the reverd figure at the head of many brutish races, as Grummsh and Maglubiyet vanished with the rest of the Elder Gods. Commanding from a plane within the Abyss, his whims are directed to generals, high priests, and clerics of his faith. His vision is to spread the genes of Orcs and Goblins across the land. His vision is a world where every race is tainted by Orcish blood. He is not seen as the leader of the Mongrel race by the Hobgoblin leaders in Rith'tik, despite the insistence of his priests that he will lead them to glory. He will often turn to deception against these military rulers to advance his agenda within the Western Mountains. Abroad, he is a hated figure, seen as a bringer of spoil and death. The demon Malgran is a servant of his, spreading demonic influence across the human lands. However, Orcus is wary of Malgran's loyalty. '-The King in Yellow (TN):' Not much is known of this cult. Mostly made up of artisans, aristocrats, and social elites, they worship a deity from beyond the known world. Described as a humanoid figure in a yellow cloak, they push the boundaries of expression, vanity, and sanity. Shrines to the King in Yellow are often found within mansions, opera houses, and places where the social elite may mingle. Signified by yellow draperies and the "yellow sign" that all members bear on their person, the shrines are where the devoted give praise and await enlightenment from the god. To the public, the King in Yellow is a cult or a social club. Nothing of consequence, that is for certain. However, rumors have risen to suggest that perhaps the King in Yellow should not be taken so lightly. Kidnappings in the night, unnatural torture, artistic works that inspire madness, and darker things. The King in Yellow does not take servants lightly. This means a true devotee of the King is a being of measurable influence or power. '-Lord of Extinction, Weaver of the Void, True Name Unknown (CE):' Little remains of this deity's legacy aside from dark stories of a being who despised life and existence. Composed of the endless black of the night sky, it has existed before even Chaos came into existence. Its priests are hard to find, far and few between, and willing to die before betraying their lord in the slightest measure. There are no churches to his name, they were torn down centuries ago. The only way to commune with this dark god is to conduct a hideous ceremony at midnight in complete darkness. The particulars of the ritual are hidden in dark texts scattered across Alduroum. '-Shar, goddess of Darkness and Loss (CE):' She survived the Fall because she fed off of the sorrow and despair that it created. The only reason her psyche was not scattered to the winds of chaos was the immense suffering and loss emanating from the Material Plane. Weakened, she fed off of it for decades. Once she was powerful enough, she reincarnated in physical form. Now she seeks to spread her faith across Alduroum. Only evil, twisted souls take up her banner. Evil undead are the most common patrons, but some humans are dark enough to champion her cause. Her most powerful follower is Mordimer, King of Bones. He dwells in the dead city of Nephus. It is there that Shar leads her offensive against the good things of the world. She resides in the Shadowfell. Followers of Shar believe that loss and despair are the two most powerful emotions in the world. If you can inspire this in a creature, you may truly control them. They seek to inflict as much pain and suffering upon the world as possible to increase their god's power. She promises that those who help bring her to ultimate power will have a seat next to her for eternity. She makes common practice of granting spell-like powers, magical boons, and divine favors to those who labor under her cause. '''Cults & Doctrines' As stated before, many charlatans walk among the devout. Whether spreading a lie or tricking mortals into worshiping demons, the source of these cults hold no real divine power. In addition to this, some religions have no single deity, but rather an ideal that they worship. There are more than can be numbered across the land, but these are a few of the more notable ones. '-Keepers of the Shipman's Dirge (LN):' They worship Vulkar, a man more than a god, he was born in 267 A.F. to a sailing family. As he grew older, his legacy as a sailor only grew greater as he moved from fishing vessels, to trade ships, to service in the Trickletown Naval Militia, to his own exploits aboard his sailing ship Legacy. ''Supposedly, he met his end amid a terrible storm at sea. Two weeks after the ''Legacy '' was seen dragged under a great wave, the ship sailed into port with only Valkur aboard. He immediately gathered a cult of personality. Time showed that he was more than mortal now. He was cold and wise. His eyes shown with the hard gray of the sea and his voice commanded the respect of any crewmen. He could sail great ships by himself, he could navigate terrible squalls, fight off great beasts with a cutlass, and scare off a coming hurricane with the threat to tame it. No man who sailed with Valkur died or met misfortune at sea as long as their captain was nearby. Now though, the man is dead. Vulkar died in the Kraken War of 602 A.F. He was slain at the hand of Daxial, the monster that sought to consume Trickletown and the sea once more. Most have ceased to worship Vulkar, as he is certifiably dead. He is buried in the ruins of Daxial's temple in the Shatterbay of Trickletown. Some still follow his doctrine of self-reliance and stoicism. They believe that he will return from death and show mankind the way forward. These grim cultists worship with dirges, memorials, and songs about their master's exploits in life. They wear black and dark green, they vow to never speak their god's name until he rises once more. They refer to him in death as the Shipman. '-Order of the Crimson Circle (ANY):' A quasi-religious group that worships no deity, but believes that war and combat is a philosophical experience that can lead to clarified meaning and understanding of ones self. Acting in a loose federation, members of the Order can recognize one another quickly and will often cooperate, assuming their goals do not pit one against the other. Members can be of anyone who bears a weapon and considers fighting to be their profession. The order has no central leader. However, some legends speak of a Red Knight, a great warrior of old, who first created the ideology. '-Cult of the Hunger (CE):' A demon cult led by Malgran, the Thirsting Maw. A Nalfenshee, he is a servant of Orcus who has gained large following of his own. While still laboring under Orcus' cause, he is secretly building his following to where he may break away from the demon prince's service. The Cult of the Hunger is focused upon blood sacrifice and torture in Malgran's name. A standard ritual within this cult will usually make up a large feast of raw meat or a blood offering of great proportions. A smaller cult, it can only be found in the distant parts of the world. However, Malgran's gifts rapidly recruits followers and the number of mortals who revere him grows everyday. Malgran delegates day to day action to a lieutenant Vrock named Gaarnigh. The Vrock was allowed into the Material Plane by Solomon Daggard, an unwilling servant of Malgran. Gaarnigh dwells in the southern part of the Commonlands, travelling between cult hideouts, coordinating resources and action. '- Defunct Servants of the Night (NE):''' This cult is as old as 89 A.F., when its followers first wandered into populated lands. It is led by Gulithas, the Vampire Lord. His origins are unknown. He subjected Bloodfell Spire and waged a war upon the Wood Elves. Ultimately victorious, he was finally cast down by Sir Morrow, Paladin of Isilsolar. The corruption of the mountain took the paladin, but the vampire lord vanished. Rumors now circulate that he is not dead, but rather weakened. Unknown to most of the world, a secret war was fought in the Woodland Realm against this monster. After his new influcence almost englufed the region, he was slain by a group of adventurers (Thallion Dravose, Chadrok of the Fratelli Clan, Lunarpaw, and Solomon Daggard) and the resurrected Sir Morrow. The Servants of the Night are shattered and leaderless. Most have blended into their home regions or found new dark causes to join.